The second race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season ended like the same race last year with Jimmie Johnson in Victory Lane for the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 in Atlanta.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series raced for the first time with the new “low down force package” (which is what the drivers said they wanted) at Atlanta Motor Speedway yesterday (2/28). That just means the cars are not forced down on the track as much by the air moving over them as they race around the track. That makes them harder to handle and puts the responsibility of keeping the car going straight in the hands of the driver.

It also makes it easier to pass because it lowers how much air pushes off a car and into the car behind attempting to move forward on the track. Again, this is what the drivers told NASCAR they wanted to make for more exciting racing with more passing.

While there was a lot of side-by-side racing I believe the drivers were somewhat cautious getting used to the new “low down force package” which resulted in the race only having three caution periods. However, I also feel that as the drivers get more comfortable with the new package they will get more aggressive with their driving and it will lead much more exciting racing in the weeks to come.

There were eight drivers who led the race in Atlanta for a least one lap. Kevin Harvick led the most laps with a total of 131 circuits in front of the field out of the 330 scheduled laps.

In the end it was a decision to pit early for Jimmie Johnson that put him out front when the other race leaders came in nine laps later for their final pit stop. However, the huge lead he gained on fresh tires was erased when the final caution came out to put the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 into a NASCAR overtime finish.

Jimmie was able to hold that lead for the re-start and drive on to win his second consecutive race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed second place with Kyle Busch just inches behind in third place. Kurt Busch started from the pole and finished in fourth place with Carl Edwards taking home a fifth place finish. You can see the complete race results for the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500 here.

While defending Sprint Cup Champion Kyle Busch did not win this week or last week, he does move up two spots to the top of the driver standings. Martin Truex Jr. holds steady in second place with Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards each moving up a spot to third and fourth respectively. Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin falls four spots to fifth place in the driver standings. See the complete NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings here.

Jimmie moved up 10 spots in the standings to 6th place. However, with the win he joins Denny as the two drivers that are all but guaranteed a spot in the Chase at the end of the season.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to a west coast swing of races next with a stop at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt 400 Sunday, March 6th.

By: Buck Stevens